Street crews have five times more work than usual

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – Lafayette street crews are getting a much earlier start than usual and they will have a lot more to do this summer.

Democratic Mayor Tony Roswarski presented a preliminary list of projects to city council members Wednesday evening at the monthly caucus meeting.

He said most years crews do perhaps 30 skip patches in a summer, where a larger section of the road is failing and is milled down and repaired. This year, there’s a list of 170. This is due in part by a frost line that was more than four feet deep in places.

There’s also about 100 roads on a list for crack sealing.

“That’s significantly more than we typically do, but the winter was very, very stressful on the roads,” said Roswarski.

There’s a preliminary paving list of four roads with wheel tax money: Ferry Street from S. 2nd Street to Erie Street, 11th Street from Columbia Street to Ferry Street, 18th Street from Teal to Congress, Maple Street from N. 18th Street to N. 20th Street, and the alley north of Maple from N. 19th Street to Erie Street.

There’s a combined estimated price tag on all the work of $1.5 million.

Roswarski said he’s about three months early and usually presents his needs to council in July.

“A lot earlier, a lot more work. A lot more complicated work — looking at the subbases and some of the things we have to work with because of the extreme temperatures and some of the wear and tear on the road,” said Roswarski.